I ordered a CMP Special SA Garand back at the beginning of September, along with some ammo, clips etc. Got the ammo and accessories in the middle of October, but no word on the rifle. After hearing from several people who'd ordered Specials and got them fairly quickly, I contacted the CMP on Monday and was told that the SA's were backordered for the the foreseeable future, but that HRA Specials were in stock and ready to ship, so I had them switch my order and got an early Christmas present today.

Beautiful!

CMP Special = new barrel = 0 throat and muzzle erosion

HRA 5579xxx serial #, 1954 manufacture from what I can find

So now the questions:
Does anyone have any guides or videos on the correct way to do long range Garand shooting with a sling?

What should I do with the stock? Raw linseed oil, tru-oil, or? Linseed oil is the authentic WW2 look AFAIK, but I have heard that tru-oil gives a tougher finish that's weather proof. Any opinions? Also do I need to strip the stock or anything before applying the new finish? It looks pretty bare as is.

Lastly the clips I have (from the CMP) really don't want to let go of the first round when they're full. The pic below is after locking the clip in, pulling the op rod handle all the way back, and letting go. To get the first round in the chamber requires either pulling back the op rod handle 2-3 time or manually pushing it into battery. Is this the norm for Garands or what?

Anyway, I put two clips through it this afternoon. Can't say much about accuracy yet since my back yard shooting area is only 25 yards, but she sure is a delight to shoot. Gotta admit I giggled like a school girl every time I heard that *PING*. Look forward to taking her out to a real range!

very nice... mines just a service grade but it is still a decent shooter.

as for questions, I just use linseed oil. I use it for all my milsurps and it works fine. as for the clips something didn't look right with the one I got from CMP. I have a couple dozen USGI ones that all work great, never have used the CMP one.

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ignore my complete lack of capitalization. I still have no problem correcting your grammar.
I never said half the stuff people said I did-Albert Einstein
You can't believe everything you read on the internet-Benjamin Franklin

When I bought my first M1 years ago, it came with a copy of The M1 GARAND owner's guide by Scott A. Duff. In the book, it says that sometimes you may need to "slap" the op-rod forward to chamber the first round from a new clip. It's completely normal. Also if you watch a lot of WWII or Korean war footage, you will see GIs do it too. I have a few hundred en bloc clips and all of them are military surplus. Some you need to slap, some you don't. Just depends on how tight they hold the ammo. Also, linseed oil is what M1 stocks were originally finished with.

It is very common, especially with new clips, to have to "bump" the op rod handle to chamber the first round. Some users have the habit of automatically hitting the op rod even when it is not necessary.

Does anyone have any guides or videos on the correct way to do long range Garand shooting with a sling

See if you can find an Appleseed shoot in your area. They usually start with 22LR due to the volume you will shoot. They teach proper sling usage a long with natural point of aim, proper sight usage etc. After the first 2 day class you can bring your M1 to a know distance shoot. They will have you popping balloons at 300 yards. Which is about my limit. It is hard for me to see a 12 inch balloon past 300 yards.

No scopes, no sand bags, no tripods. Just a sling and proper shooting position.

AppleSeed has a know distance shoot which is different than their regular shoot where you are learning the basics. Most of the regular (first shoot) is at 25 yards. After you complete that course and get the basics you can attend a know distance. A lot less shooting more of a proof of concept.

Congrads. Nice rifle.
As others have said having to bumping the op-rod to chamber the first round is normal. However, DO NOT GRAB THE OP-ROD. With the back of the hand deliver a glancing blow to the tab to drive the op-rod forward.
Enjoy your piece of history.

Tru-Oil will give you a shiny finish, not personally the look I like on these guns. Regular BLO will dry to a weatherproof finish, it just takes longer to dry completely. I think the look is well worth the wait myself.

What should I do with the stock? Raw linseed oil, tru-oil, or? Linseed oil is the authentic WW2 look AFAIK, but I have heard that tru-oil gives a tougher finish that's weather proof. Any opinions? Also do I need to strip the stock or anything before applying the new finish? It looks pretty bare as is.

I strongly recommend Pure Tung Oil (PTO). It's an authentic USGI finish that is more moisture-resistant than linseed oil. Be sure to get quality stuff like that sold by Real Milk Paint Company http://www.realmilkpaint.com/oil.html rather than the stuff sold at Lowes (which has a bunch of other laquers mixed in).

You will not need to strip the new CMP stock. Just lightly wipe it down with some mineral spirits to clean it before applying 5-6 coats of PTO.

How long does Tung oil take to apply compared to BLO? I really, really want to do one of the authentic finishes, but I am just not going to have the time or space to keep an "ongoing project" for the next 6 months. I need to go with an option that can be finished within a couple weeks, at least.

um?
BLO is usually dry enough to handle after 24 hours, just how many coats are you thinking of applying?

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ignore my complete lack of capitalization. I still have no problem correcting your grammar.
I never said half the stuff people said I did-Albert Einstein
You can't believe everything you read on the internet-Benjamin Franklin

Everything I have ever read about linseed oil said 6-10 coats (your preference) 24-48 hours apart. I think I read about a fellow that used 12 coats on a flintlock rifle he built, but that was just him.

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